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Design for Site and Material

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How to Build a Retaining Wall and 6 Reasons they Fail

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What happens here

The design of a retaining wall must be appropriate for the specific site conditions and the material being used. For instance, a poured concrete retaining wall, like the one shown being demolished, is incredibly strong because it's a single, continuous element with a lateral footing that prevents tipping. If using modular block retaining walls, proper drainage and geogrid reinforcement are essential. For boulder retaining walls, selecting the correct size and type of stones is crucial. Regardless of the material, the design must withstand environmental elements and the pressures exerted by the retained soil.

Goal: Match the retaining wall's design to its environment and construction materials

Tools and materials

  • Concrete Saw Stihl — To cut through old concrete walls during removal
  • Geogrid — Reinforcement for modular block retaining walls
  • Large Boulders — Material for boulder retaining walls, requiring correct sizing for stability
  • Modular Block — A common material for retaining walls, requiring specific drainage and reinforcement
  • Skid Loader with Jackhammer Bobcat — To remove old, strong poured concrete walls, illustrating their durability when correctly built

What they say

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simple fixes not done in time. Retaining walls come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the absolute strongest retaining walls made are actually poured retaining walls. To remove a retaining wall like this, we're going to be outfitting the front of this skid loader with a jackhammer and pounding in the front just to soften up the concrete. Why is this wall so strong? Well, it's how it's designed. It's one continuous element. This has a lateral footing down at the base of this soil keeping the retaining wall from tipping over. It's all about the base. And they know how to build them 100 years ago. Now, if you're building a retaining wall today, you make sure that you design the retaining wall for the exact type of material that is going to be on the face. That means if it's a modular block retaining wall, you got to have the right drainage. You got to have the right geogrid. If you're using a boulder retaining wall, you got to have the right size stones. It doesn't matter what material you build a retaining wall out of, you've got to design it to withstand the elements. This is a great example. Here's

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